School Bus Burns on Spring Hill in Mariposa County

On a routine trip to Mariposa Monday afternoon January 30, 2012 , Mariposa Public Utilities District (MPUD) Fire Captain Dennis Buck happened upon a small Mariposa County Unified School District (MCUSD) school bus in the smoldering phase of an engine compartment fire. Captain Buck quickly alerted Fire Dispatchers of the emergency and took action with two extinguishers from his personal vehicle. A few minutes earlier Bus Driver James Crawford noticed an acrid smell of overheated wiring or insulation as he began the ascent of Spring Hill on Highway 49 South. As he neared Allred Road, Mr. Crawford reached down to feel the engine cowling and detected unusually high heat to the touch. He immediately pulled the vehicle into a large turnout and evacuated his only student passenger.

It took fire resources from Mariposa County Fire, MPUD and Cal Fire about five minutes to extinguish open flames under the hood. The 2000 Ford van-bus suffered extensive damage to the engine compartment and driver’s area. Smoke and soot damage extended to the entire passenger compartment.

According to the MCUSD vehicle maintenance staff some recent work was completed on both the exhaust system as well as some electrical wiring. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined. The student was transferred to another bus and continued her trip home. Damage is estimated at approximately $20,000 and there were no injuries.

Source & Photo credit: MCFD